For my next trip I’ll be trying out a new app called Polarsteps. This app automatically tracks where I am and where I’ve been using triangulation (via the cellular network) instead of GPS. It’s a little less accurate but it means it doesn’t drain my battery. It will also allow me to add photos and videos live even when I’m not connected to the internet.

While it’s an app, your profile can be viewed on a PC browser too. So those at home don’t have to download the app to see what you’re doing.

I’m curious to see how this works out. It is even possible to add past trips. I added my trip through Europe to test this feature and so far it turned out nicely. Showing me how far I’ve travelled, how many countries I visited and how many days.

Just a few more sleeps and I’ll be heading out again doing some solo travelling. This time I’m taking my backpack to Canada. Granted it is only going to be a week this time, but that doesn’t make me any less excited!

I’ll be mostly in Toronto and the GTA as well as going to see Niagara Falls (which is a must do of course!). My to do list is endless, and I have a lot of great things on there I can choose from. So I’m prepared but I haven’t planned out the whole trip. There is plenty of space for spontaneity as well as change of plans. Which is how I think travel should be. Go out, be prepared so you know what you want to see and do. Yet don’t get stuck in a schedule; for me that takes the freedom of travel away a little.

The house & cat sitter is in place, my packing list is ready. All I need to do now is actually pack (lol) and get on that plane to enjoy my trip!

While I try to gather my thoughts about what I’m going to write, tears well up in my eyes again. Usually I keep my feelings to myself, and that’s one of the reasons I haven’t written about this yet. It’s a bit scary to open my heart to a group of people I don’t know; the world wide web.
As most of you probably know, I’m a nature person and a big animal lover. Every animal is my “buddy” but of course my own animals are closer to my heart than other animals.

And that’s where it really hurts. It hurts when you have to miss a furry friend. And that’s why the tears are running down my face in a steady stream at the moment. I miss them, yes them. Because unfortunately I had to say my goodbyes to two of my big animal friends. Horse Dribbel and dog Butler.

If I’m not mistaken I said I would write more in my last update. That I was even going to set up a schedule to get things online more regularly. As you can see, my good intentions from DECEMBER 2015 (oops) went down the drain quickly. I haven’t done anything at all.

Even though I haven’t posted anything, I’ve seen I get more visitors lately, but with zero updates those visitors (HI!) will never come back. Very smart of me, not!

I did do something about the layout though. But you won’t be able to see those (for now) as I’m still working on it. So it’s not that I haven’t done anything, although it does appear that way.

I really feel bad and it’s a shame that I have let my website gather dust like this, so it’s time to do it differently. The new layout is on it’s way and with that I’ll be trying out a plugin that will publish entries automatically. Hopefully things will work out better that way.

So attempt 2 (or was it 3 already?!). In the last case, three times lucky they say right?

How do m ore “experienced” and more “up to date” bloggers do this? Do you write every day, or do you use a plugin that auto updates on certain times. Tips are always welcome, I have a lot to learn still.

So little time to actually post it here. I know I should post more about what I’ve been doing. A lot has happened, not only since my last post but even before that. I needed time to wrap my head around it, and once I finally came to grips with it all there was very little time to catch up on writing again.

Things are crazy hectic offline, but I’m trying to set up some sort of schedule or free op my calendar to be able to actually sit down and write. So hopefully things will be up and running again here soon.

It’s also time for a layout change, not sure what I want yet but it has to change. Maybe that will inspire me a little more to write as well.

So for now, all I can say is I promise I’ll be back as soon as possible. Because I have yet to post about my amazing London trip, amongst other things!

About Me

I'm Chantal, a travel crazy, cat loving, tree hugging hippie from The Netherlands who loves Mother Nature, animals, reading, meditation & yoga. I'll be blogging about my travels around the world, navigating through life, exploring the world of books and my passion for the environment.